Track for highways



C. T. ELDREDGE. TRACK Foa HleHw/ws'. l APPLICATION FILED SEPT.24.1919.

` Arm/Mfrs CLYDE TALBOT ELDREDGE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

TRACK FOR HIGHWAYS.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2 1920.

Application filed September 24, 1919. Serial No. 325,825.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CLYDE T. ELDREDGE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of- San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented a new and Improved Track for Highways, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a metal track for highways and has for an object the provision of two smooth surfaced flat topped metal rails embedded in a road-way to take the greater part of the wear and tear of heavy traic.

Another object of the invention is to provide light and strong metal rails with flat tops broad enough to obviate the necessity of using a great number of ties for the foundation of the rails.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification in which the similar characters of references indicate corresponding parts in all the views and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the two rails showing the metal channel for holdthe rails together.

ig. 2 is a transverse section taken through the road-bed and the two metal rails.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross sectioln taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the accompanying drawing by numerals, 10 indicates a road-bed in which are embedded two tracks spaced apart and consisting of metal rails 11. Each of these metal rails is provided with a broad flat top 12 flush with the surface of the road-way, a web 13, and a base 14. The edges of the top 12 are reinforced by depending ianges 15. The adjacent ends of the metal rails are held together by? means of angle irons 16, Xed to the base 14, by means of bolts 17, and to the web 13, by means of bolts 18. The adjoining rail ends are also held together at the topv by means of bars 19 bolted to the flanges 15, by means of bolts 20.

The two tracks are spaced apart by channels 21 on which the rails 11 rest, said channels being bolted to the base 14 of said rails by means of bolts 17 which extend through the slots 22, thus allowing the rails to freely expand and contract. The channels 21 are placed transversely across the tracks at the junction of two rails.

The track is supported under the load-of the traflc by the top 15 and base 14 bearing on the road-bed. Thus it is unnecessary to use ties for supporting the rails between the channels 21, thereby cheapening the cost of construction of the road-bed. The road-bed 10 may consist of a dirt road or any pavement and the metal tracks 11 are placed in the tracks followed by the vehicle wheels so as to take the bulk of wear from the dirt or the pavement. This system of road building is cheaper and more durable than the ordinary paving since the heavy trucks in use at the present time soon wear out the best grade of pavement. The flat tops of the rails provide a much smoother surface than ordinary pavement would under heavy traic wear.

What I claim is:

1. In a track for highways, the Coinbination of a plurality of metal rails laid end to end so as to form a double track, a broad flat top formed on each of said rails, a -fbase formed on each of said rails, a web connecting the base of each rail witl.y the top, a depending flange formed on each edge of said top, a plurality of bars fixed to the depending flanges of adjacent rail ends, adapted to join said rail ends t0- gether.

2. In a track for highways, the combination of a plurality of metal rails laid end to end so as to form a double track, a broad fiat top formed on each of said rails, a base formed on each of said rails, a web connecting the base of each rail with the top, a depending flange formed on each edge of said top, a metal channel extending transversely between the tracks at the junction of adjacent rail ends so as to space said tracks apart, a plurality of bars fixed to the depending flanges of adjacent rail ends, a plurality of angles Xed to the webs tof adjacent rail ends, and a plurality of connecting members Xing the horizontal legs of said angles, the bases of said rails and said channels together.

CLYDE TALBOT ELDREDGE. 

